Coronavirus delays Nigeria’s Chinese-built rail project
- Workers who went home for Lunar New Year holiday have not returned, transport minister Rotimi Amaechi says
- US$1.5 billion line linking Lagos to Ibadan is under construction by state-owned China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation
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Nigeria’s transport minister said on Friday that completion of a major railway project has been delayed by the coronavirus outbreak as Chinese workers had not returned to the country.
The 150km (90-mile) railway line linking economic hub Lagos to the city of Ibadan is being built by the state-owned China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation.
“Most of the Chinese workers who went on their New Year holiday have not yet returned due to the coronavirus and this has delayed the work,” minister Rotimi Amaechi said.
The US$1.5 billion project – preliminarily expected to be completed in May – has faced repeated delays since it was first agreed back in 2012.
The disease — also known as novel coronavirus — has infected around 100,000 people and killed more than 3,400 since the outbreak emerged in December in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
Beijing has ploughed billions of dollars into building infrastructure across Africa as it has bolstered its influence on the continent.
Nigeria reports first coronavirus case in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa so far has been relatively lightly affected by the virus’ spread, despite its deep business links with China.
Nigeria – the continent’s most populous country – has reported just one case, an Italian man who travelled to Lagos from Milan.
Senegal has registered four cases, while South Africa, Cameroon and Togo also have once case each.
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